Job Search and Network Composition: Implications of the Strength-Of-Weak-Ties Hypothesis
This paper talks about workers finding jobs through personal contacts (weak and strong ties) and formal sources. It analyses two formulations of the strength-of-weak-ties hypothesis. The first formulation is weak ties relay job offers more frequently than both strong ties. The second formulation is weak tie offers are drawn from a better distribution. The paper cites a formal model showing a correlation between network composition and a job seeker’s minimum first wage. This paper then proves the use of a weak tie is never associated with higher expected wages using the first formulation, and the use of a weak tie is only sometimes associated with higher wages using the second formulation. From this research, we can conclude that researchers should focus on job seekers’ network structures.
In this course, the first topic discussed was graph theory and social networks. In this topic, we learned about the famous “strength of weak ties” hypothesis. Mark Granovetter created this hypothesis stating people are more likely to get a job through an acquaintance, a weak tie, than a friend or family member, a strong tie. On March 11th 2014, Forbes wrote an article titled, “Why every employee should be building weak ties at work.” The paper cited extends the ideas we learned in class from job offers to job wages and shows why every employee should also be building strong ties at work. The paper’s conclusion makes sense because if you don’t know a person as well, then you probably won’t be recommended for a job with as high regard.
Links
- http://www.jstor.org/stable/2095914?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
- https://sociology.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/publications/the_strength_of_weak_ties_and_exch_w-gans.pdf
- http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2014/03/11/every-employee-weak-ties-work/#3f9594c07d75